


Beneath My Red Moon

by TwoCrows



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Awkwardness, Blood, F/M, Vampire!Ruri, mild romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 16:50:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21256523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoCrows/pseuds/TwoCrows
Summary: Ruri has never been a vampire as perfect as her big brother. But this night, she has no other choice. This night she has to drink a human’s blood.Of course, when she finally picks one, everything goes wrong.





	Beneath My Red Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Eerie Halloween, everyone!

The full moon hung over the horizon, large and silent, sending its pale light across the dale and the town at its bottom. Not far away from it, staying just above the treetops, a small bat glided swiftly through the air. When it passed the edge of the forest, it slowed down for a moment before it fluttered over the field and finally approached the bleak branches of a mighty oak looming on the side of the road. 

“You’re late.” 

A man stepped out of the shadow, so abruptly he might as well have grown right out of the tree. 

“I’m sorry”, Ruri muttered awkwardly as she climbed down from the branch. 

“You know how much father values punctuality, don’t you?” 

“Y-Yes, I do.” 

Shun gave her a long, scrutinising glance before he nodded. “Then let’s go.” 

He squatted down, leapt into the air and suddenly he was gone and a small bat soared up in his place. After a moment Ruri followed him. 

Her brother flew straight towards the city and she had to flap her wings very quickly to keep up with him. Their father had always been proud he was such an excellent flyer. She on the other hand… She had never shown any sign of over-average abilities. 

“Are you nervous?” Shun asked from above. 

She blinked and glanced up at him. He was flapping his wings too, and yet it didn’t look like he was a bag with wings which had trouble to even stay in flight. She kind of envied him for that. 

“N-No, I’m not nervous”, she said, more to convince herself than to answer him. 

“Good”, he replied and somehow Ruri couldn’t shake the impression he was smiling. 

They landed on a tree near the street, this time without turning back into their human form. 

“Okay”, Shun said in a suddenly very formal tone. “You know the rules. No help is allowed. You have to be back before the crack of dawn.” 

Ruri nodded. She had been lectured about them much more often than she had liked to. 

The bat next to her gritted its teeth, a gesture that was supposed to be a smile, though Ruri always felt a little perturbed by it. “I can’t go with you any further. The rest is up to you, Ruri. Good luck.” 

“Thank you”, she muttered. 

Shun let go of the branch and fell towards the ground. Spreading his wings he caught the wind and drew an arc through the night, soaring back into the air. It had all been one fluent, perfect motion Ruri couldn’t help but let out a sigh of amazement. If she tried that, it wouldn’t look half as elegant. 

Her brother’s shape appeared once more, set darkly against the moon, but after a brief moment he disappeared into the night. Ruri drew in a deep breath and looked up at the pale orb. It looked so beautiful and pure, and yet she couldn’t suppress a shiver. Today was the last time she’d see it like that. Today was the last time before it would turn red forever. Her bloodmoon. 

Vigorously she shook her head. She didn’t have time to grow melancholic now. If she ever wanted to be taken serious, she had to go through with this. 

She raised her head and looked into the garden below her. Gathering up all her courage she closed her eyes and let go. The wind rushed past her ears. She spread her wings and started to beat as fast as she could and somehow she managed not to hit the ground. Swaying a little she rose back up to the roofs. 

Alright. Now for the next step. 

She floated down the street and glanced at the houses on either side. They all looked so different. She had no idea how she was supposed to make a decision there. Well, probably it didn’t matter which one she picked. 

She flapped over to a small two-storey house and landed on the balcony. Slowly she straightened up, curled and uncurled her fingers to get a feel for her human limbs again. She always felt a little confused right after she changed, as though her mind was stuck between a world of sound and noise and a world of light and colour. Suppressing the urge to fold her arms, she turned towards the glass door. 

Inside she could see the end of a bed. Great. That meant she wouldn’t need to search for the bedroom and risk waking anyone. She turned to the handle of the door and stared at it. 

At first nothing happened. Then, very slowly, it began to move, until it flicked into a horizontal position. Ruri pressed her fingers against the glass and the door opened. Without making a noise she slipped inside. 

It was a boy’s room, Ruri thought as she looked around, although he seemed to be a tidy one. There were no clothes scattered over the floor and a couple of books was neatly piled up next to the opened notebook on the desk. It looked completely unlike her brother’s room. 

She smiled as she wondered what Shun would say if he could see this. Probably it would be something like ‘hurry up’. 

She sighed and turned towards the bed. A poster of a human band was hanging on the wall over it. She considered it for a moment. Then she lowered her gaze to the boy sleeping below. He had long, black hair which messily stood out in all directions and a few lighter, purplish bangs fell over his forehead. 

Slowly she stepped closer and took a look at his face. He was quite pretty, she noticed. His features were soft, but at the same time there was also something serious about them. Something… mature. 

Her eyes wandered down to his fair neck. After a moment she could see the faint pulsation of his artery. It looked… _alluring_. 

She shuddered and turned away, tried to suppress the sudden nauseous feeling that rose up inside her. 

_Come on_, she said to herself. _You just need to bite him and drink a few drops of his blood. You don’t need to kill him or anything. _

She took a deep breath and turned back towards the boy. Her attention was immediately drawn to his neck. The calm, steady pulse was mesmerising. She suddenly felt a terribly thirst inside. 

Very slowly she leaned forward, rested one hand on the bed and bent down towards his neck. 

She… She wanted it. She wanted to drink his blood. Her body craved for it. For the sensation of the warm liquid running down her throat and… 

The boy stirred in sleep and suddenly her chest locked up and she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt as though her stomach had turned. Dizzy and full of disgust. 

She remembered the sensation. She had drunk the blood of animals before. She remembered the euphoria she had felt. And also the sick feeling that had hit her afterwards. It… It had felt as though something foul and dirty was inside of her, polluting her from inside. She… She hated that feeling. And yet, this time she’d have to endure it. 

She swallowed hard and opened her mouth, bringing it down towards his skin. Then a blinding light exploded before her eyes. She let out a scream and backed away, pressed both hands over her burning eyes. After a few seconds the pain subsided and she dared to lower her arms. 

The boy was staring at her, no less surprised than she was. 

“W-Who are you? And what are you doing here?” 

Oh. Oh _fuck_. He had woken up. 

Her instincts told her to flee, to run out of the balcony door and fly away. Surely he’d later assume he had been dreaming. 

And yet… the thought of how Shun would look at her sent a shiver down her spine. 

_“What do you mean you were found out?” _

And her father… No! She couldn’t go back with such a result. 

She considered the boy for a second and then an idea formed in her head. He still was a human boy, right? 

She leaned forward and gave him a smile. Not just a kind, friendly smile, but a secretive, promising one. 

“I am your dream”, she whispered softly and ran one finger over his cheek, slowly wandering down to his chest. Gently she pushed him down on his pillow and brought her mouth right next to his ear. “There’s no need to be afraid. Just lean back and fall asleep.” 

She felt the boy relax beneath her. Perfect. 

She slid down to his neck, opened her mouth and – his hand caught her shoulder and after a moment he pushed her away. 

“What exactly do you think you’re doing there?” He gazed at her, his eyes narrowed warily. Suddenly he seemed to notice her unusually long eyeteeth. She could see his eyes wandering to her pointed ears. A spark of understanding flashed over his face. 

Before he could scream, Ruri pressed both hands over his mouth. “Listen, I’m sorry you got wrapped up in this, but this is necessary”, she muttered and leaned towards his neck. 

Unfortunately the boy struggled and Ruri received a jab against her chin. Then there was a muffled thump as he slid off the bed and landed hardly on the floor. 

“Hey, did… did you just try to bite me?” he stuttered. 

Ruri straightened up on the bed and glanced down at him. He looked… somehow pitiful the way he lay there, his back pressed against the bookshelf behind him. His grey eyes were wide with fear, but also with something else… Curiosity? Hmm… How strange. 

_Anyway_, she thought, focusing herself back on what she had to do. She could think about that later. 

She slid one leg over the edge of the bed. The movement seemed to tear the boy out of his shock and he glanced around and grabbed the next best object he could reach, a table tennis racket. 

Ruri let out a sigh. “You are not making things easier, you know?” She closed her eyes and reached behind, switched off the small bedside lamp. 

In the sudden darkness she leapt forward, pushed away the hand that held the racket and tried once more to dig her teeth into his neck. Something hard and heavy crashed on her head and for a brief moment she blacked out. 

The next thing she heard was a quiet click and then the beam of a torch pierced the darkness. When it hit her eyes, she winced at the sudden brightness. 

“Oh, I’m sorry”, the boy’s voice said from above her and the light disappeared. “Are you hurt?” 

Ruri sat up. At once her head began to throb like hell and she gave out a low groan. A glance at the floor revealed what had hit her: A huge hardcover book. It must have fallen down when she and the boy had smacked against the shelf. 

“I-I’m okay”, she said and carefully palpated the throbbing spot on her head. Ouch. Now it was official. She was the clumsiest vampire in the history of her family. But today was her bloodmoon. Failure was inacceptable. 

“Please hold still”, she muttered towards the boy. “It doesn’t hurt much.” 

She leaned forward again, but the boy’s hand grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. This time however he didn’t push her away. 

“W-Wait a second. You are really trying to drink my blood?” 

She nodded and grabbed his wrist, bent it out of the way and brought her mouth down to his neck. His skin was burning warmly against her lips. She felt the pulsation of his artery against her teeth, following the quick rhythm of his heartbeat. And yet, something made her stop. 

What… What was she waiting for? She just needed to bite him. There was no reason to hesitate. She just needed to do it. 

“Isn’t that unhygienic?” he asked. 

For a second Ruri felt the sensation again, the sensation of something filthy, something foreign staining her from inside. 

She straightened up and turned away. “Why did you have to say that?” she snivelled and couldn’t fail to notice the tears that were welling up in her eyes. “This… This is already hard enough for me.” 

The boy gave her a bewildered look. “You… don’t want to drink blood?” 

“N-No, I don’t”, she replied a little angrier than she had meant to. “I hate to drink blood. It’s nothing but disgusting! But today is my bloodmoon. I… I have to do it.” 

His face remained clueless and she turned away. How could he possibly understand? He was just a human. Suddenly she felt his hand on her shoulder and when she looked at him, he gave her a friendly smile. 

“How about you tell me about it?” he asked. “By the way, I’m Yuto. And what’s your name?” 

“R-Ruri”, she replied shyly. 

Yuto switched on the lamp again and they sat down across from each other on the bed. 

“So, first of all, you are a vampire?” he began. 

Ruri nodded. “Yes. My whole family is.” 

“And you need to drink blood to survive?” 

“Yes. We mainly live off of things like vegetables or rice, just like humans do, but if we don’t drink blood for too long… well, we don’t die, but it gets very, very painful.” 

His eyes grew wide and his pretty face was suddenly so full of concern. It was heartwarming. 

“Why didn’t you say something?” he asked softly. “If you’re in pain, then-”

“No, it’s not like that”, she said and quickly shook her head. “Today’s my bloodmoon. That’s why I have to do it.” 

He blinked. Ruri could see the question on his lips, but he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say it out loud. She sighed and gazed out of the window at the pale moon hanging in the sky like a huge, blind eyeball. 

“A vampire reaches adulthood when they drink blood from a human for the first time”, she explained. “Then the moon turns red and their powers grow in strength. That is called bloodmoon.” 

She looked back at Yuto. “In the past young vampires repeatedly became reckless as they competed who would achieve their bloodmoon first, nearly leading to our discovery. That’s why it was turned into a ritual. In the night of their five-hundredth full moon every young vampire has to find a human on their own and drink their blood. Only then they are treated as adults.” 

She ducked her head and a faint smile crept over her lips. “My brother completed the ritual on his three-hundredth full moon already, though.” She raised her eyes and met Yuto’s gaze. The boy had listened patiently and now there was a pensive look on his face. 

“I see. This ritual is important enough for you to drink blood although you hate it. Then…” Suddenly he froze and his brows furrowed. “Wait! The five-hundredth full moon? How… How old are you?” 

Ruri tilted her head. “I’m forty sun years old. Why?” 

Yuto stared at her. “W-Wow, you… I mean… You don’t look older than fifteen.” 

Ruri gave him an insecure smile. “Vampires don’t age as fast as humans do. We can live hundreds of years unless we are killed by someone.” 

Yuto lowered his gaze and his eyes turned sad for a moment. “I see. I… I’m sorry.” Then he turned back to her. “What are you going to do now?” 

Ruri considered him for a long moment. Right. She needed to decide how to go on. There were mainly three options. One: She could return home and tell her father she had failed. Though… That meant she’d be an eternal disgrace for her family. 

No. She couldn’t do that. 

Two: She could try to overwhelm Yuto and drink his blood by force. Certainly that was the option Shun would’ve picked. But it was also the option with the highest risk of being noticed by someone else. And, more important than that… she didn’t want to hurt him. After all he had listened to her without getting angry at her. Without being afraid of her. 

She sighed and got up from the bed. When she noticed Yuto’s questioning gaze, a smile grew over her lips. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to harm you.” 

Slowly she stepped towards the door and looked up at the midnight blue sky. “I guess I’ll just have to find someone else. Please do me a favour and tell nobody about me.” 

She was about to step out onto the balcony when suddenly a hand caught her wrist and yanked her to a stop. 

“H-Hey, what…?” 

She fell quiet when she met Yuto’s sincere gaze. His eyes were shimmering with a strange fire, deep and unfathomable. She couldn’t remember having seen anything like this before. 

“You said it doesn’t hurt much.” 

Ruri nodded when she noticed it had been a question. Somehow she didn’t feel like she was able to bring out any words right now. 

“And the human you’re going to suck won’t die.” 

She shook her head. “Not… Not unless I mean to kill them.” 

Yuto closed his eyes and took a long breath. He let go of her wrist, reached up for the collar of his pyjama and loosened the two upmost buttons, exposing the delicate skin of his neck. 

“Okay”, he said. “If you want to, then you can have my blood.” 

Ruri needed a few seconds before her mind was able to process what he was saying. “W-What? You… You want to give me your blood?” 

For a moment he looked surprised. Then a soft smile spread over his face. “Yes. Although… I have a condition to ask in return.” His smile grew wider. “Would you come and visit me again?” 

Ruri didn’t notice she had backed away until she hit the glass behind her. “Y-You want me to come again? B-But why? I’m a vampire.” 

He raised his head and gazed out at the nightly sky. “A vampire, yes”, he echoed pensively. Then the smile returned onto his face. “But you don’t appear to be very different from a human. I’m not sure why, but… somehow I feel like I can trust you.” 

She refused to believe her ears. He wanted to offer her his blood freely. How… How terribly foolish. 

Shun would be disgusted at her for achieving her bloodmoon in such an embarrassing way. And yet, there was no rule dictating how she had to do it. 

She let her gaze wander to Yuto’s neck. It looked pale in the moonlight and she could see the faint pulsation of his artery. She swallowed and her throat suddenly felt unbelievably dry. 

“Are you really certain?” she whispered. 

“Yes”, he replied. 

The one word seemed to break some inner restraint. The next thing she knew was that she had thrown herself against him and they landed on top of the bed. Then she dug her fangs into his beautiful, soft, alluring neck. 

A warm liquid filled her mouth. She swallowed greedily and a blissful shudder ran through her body as the heavenly sweetness of his blood flowed down her throat. She sucked stronger, enticed the blood to leave his wound. With every second that passed her craving grew stronger. She wanted to have it. All of it. 

Suddenly Yuto stirred beneath her, tearing her out of her trance. With a shock she realised what she was doing and immediately let go of him. Two red spots began to from where her teeth had pierced his skin. 

“Thank you, Yuto”, she muttered and wiped over her mouth, leaving a streak of red on the back of her hand. 

He gave her a smile. “And? How do you feel?” 

She needed a moment to understand what he meant. “I… uh… I’m fine, I guess.” 

She waited for a few seconds, but there was no feeling of unease or nausea. Although she had just drunk blood. A lot of it. Maybe it was still the euphoria of her vampire instincts. 

She smiled. No, that wasn’t it. Yuto’s blood didn’t feel impure. It was rather… nice and gentle, like a small fire, warming her from inside. 

She got up. 

“You want to leave already?” Yuto asked and straightened up. To his surprise his arm gave way and he sagged to the side. 

“Yuto! Is everything alright with you?!” Ruri asked horrified. Then she gasped as she noticed the red stain spreading out from his neck. “Y-Your wound! We have to treat it somehow!” 

Part of her began to wonder what she was doing here. Why did she worry about a human? If Shun could see her right now, he would definitely sneer at her. But then again, she wasn’t like her brother. 

“Don’t worry”, Yuto muttered. “I’m just feeling a little weak from the blood loss. Could you please go to the cabinet over there? There’s a pack of plasters in the top drawer.” 

Ruri followed his finger and opened the drawer. There it was. With shaking fingers she fished out a plaster and tried to peel away the backing. Finally she managed to do it and leaned over Yuto to press the plaster onto his wound. It seemed to stop the bleeding for now, although she was worried it might come off again. 

How much of his blood had she drunk? She hoped it wasn’t too much. He… He just looked so terribly frail all of a sudden. Nevertheless, the smile that spread over his face was warm and sincere. 

“Thanks. And don’t forget your part of the bargain.” 

“I won’t” she muttered, returning his smile. “I’ll come back.” 

Slowly she got back to her feet and stepped over to the door. Then she stopped as a thought crossed her mind. “Say… You didn’t do this out of sympathy with me, did you?” 

Yuto laughed quietly. “So, you noticed.” 

“Then why…?” She stopped when she met his kind, friendly gaze.

“I guess I just wanted to see your beautiful face again.” 

After a moment of surprise Ruri could feel her cheeks flushing red. “I… I see.” She cast down her eyes and a tentative smile tugged at her lips. “Then I’ll have no choice but to come again.” 

She turned around and stepped out onto the balcony. Drawing in a deep breath, she leapt over the veranda and a second later she was nothing but a small bat fluttering away into the night. 

Above her the moon glowed ominously and its light bathed the world in a deep red. She had thought it would be an eerie red, but in fact it felt gentle and warm. _Like love. _


End file.
